LES ASTÉRIES
2015 Grand Cru Saint Emilion
This remains our favourite of the Jonathan Maltus wines again this year. Fresh with good density, it just has a little more satisfying grip in the back of the silky rich fruit texture, and this extends the finish. Rating: 92-93 L&S (Apr 2016)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
This tends to be the freshest and “most European” of Jonathan Maltus’ wines, and that’s the case in 2015. Made from his oldest vines, grown on thick clay over limestone soils, it’s a triumph: refreshing, nuanced and bright, with fine, chalky tannins and succulent black fruits. Not cheap, but worth it. Drink: 2022-325 Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 95 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)
From a parcel near Fonroque. Well defined with firm but ripe tannins wrapped in supple fruit. Lovely length with the limestone terroir showing. Ageing potential. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 93 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2016)
(83 Merlot, 17 Cabernet Franc) | 14.8% alc. This is the cuvée from the ‘Burgundian Series’ that works best for me because it has the tannin, the scent and also the chalky finish which balances so well with the massive fruit. Superbly well made this is an impressive wine with twenty years ahead of it. Rating: 17.5++ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Les Asteries is a blend of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc picked on October 2 and 13, then matured in 80% new oak. This has an opulent bouquet with cocoa-tinged black fruit, blueberry and a dab of cassis. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannin, perhaps not quite as precise as the 2015 Le Pontet, though there is satisfying substance and backbone on the finish, with the Cabernet Franc expressive and imparting a subtle peppery vein. Give this 3-4 years in bottle and then drink over 12-15 years. Drinking range: 2019 - 2032 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Les Astéries is the most complete of Jonathan Maltus's small production Saint-Émilions. Black cherry, plum, mocha, espresso and new leather open up first, followed by more red fruit and floral overtones that add brightness and aromatic lift. Beams of underlying tannin give the wine its backbone and extend finish. Rating: 89-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
Here Jonathan Maltus gives us an expression of the St Emilion plateau, from a vineyard featuring hard calcaire à astéries bedrock, and thin soils. It is just around the corner from Château Fonroque. The picking chez Maltus was on October 2nd for the Merlot, which is 83% of the blend, and October 13th for the Cabernet Franc, which makes up the balancing 17%. The alcohol is 14.8%, with 3.47 g/l acidity. This is always one of the more minerally cuvées here, and it shows true to form in this vintage. A vibrant hue in the glass, and a very precise nose, pure and perfumed, with that tell-tale minerally smoke coming ahead of the fruit. There follows a very tightly coiled palate, textured but very pure and delineated, with a real elegance to it. I get dark cherry fruit, with a touch of curranty concentration, with floral notes, vanilla flower, culminating in real energy in the finish, and an elegant fading grip. A lovely style of wine that carries its alcohol well. Winemaker Neil Whyte has turned in a fine performance here. Rating: 17-18/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)
Very solid core of almost unctuous raspberry and plum fruit bursts forth, giving this an exuberant feel, while solidly grippy licorice and singed vanilla notes fill in on the dense finish. Maybe a touch pumped up in the end, but there’s good freshness here to wait this out Rating: 91—94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)
Juicy and fruity with blueberry and chocolate aromas and flavors. Full body, silky tannins and a bright finish. Sleek texture to this. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2016)
Les Astéries
Jonathan Maltus was the first Englishman to receive 100 points from Robert Parker for one of his wines. He arrived in Bordeaux in 1994, selling his project management company in order to buy the picturesque but otherwise unremarkable Château Teyssier. Hard work and serious investment established Château Teyssier as a remarkably successful St Emilion brand, but the sandy soils of Vignonet were never going to provide the terroir for true St Emilion greatness. So, Jonathan set out to find himself some good terroir.
First of all, in 1996, he purchased a 3.5ha plot from Vieux Château Mazerat when one of the two brothers who owned the estate died. This he christened Le Dôme. The plot sits next to Château Angélus on almost Pomerol-esque ground – sandy soil over a layer of crasse de fer (a rich iron oxide). The vines, planted in 1956 and 1970, are 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, making Le Dôme the most Cabernet Franc dominant wine in St Emilion. In 1996, Le Dôme was at the forefront of the garagiste movement and went into exclusively new oak, although latterly the new oak proportion has dropped back to 80%.
In 2004 Jonathan took on a 1.2ha plot that had been part of Château Fonroque, that lay on a hard limestone called calcaire à astéries, so he named the wine Les Astéries. The 80 year old vines are 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.
Next, in 2005, came Le Carré – a 1.1ha plot next to Clos Fourtet on more typically St Emilion clay over limestone soil. Le Carré is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.
And, in 2008, when the other brother at Vieux Château Mazerat died, Jonathan purchased the rest of the estate. The 3.5ha of vineyard also lie next to Château Angélus (and, also, Château Canon) but in a separate block from Le Dôme, on more usual clay/limestone soil, and with a different grape mix (65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc), so the old estate was not re-united. But in a nod to their former joint status, the Vieux Château Mazerat has the same label as Le Dôme except the colours are reversed.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.